Furious Roy Keane blasts 'liar' Sir Alex Ferguson

Roy Keane is biding his time before he issues a full response to the claims made by Sir Alex Ferguson in his new book [ACTION IMAGES/ADAM HOLT]

Keane regards the chapter in ­Fergie’s recently published ­autobiography as a ­poison pen letter against his reputation.

And the angry ­Irishman has set about clearing his name by ­hitting back at Ferguson’s claims which included:

The ex-Man United skipper has the most savage tongue you can imagine; his Old ­Trafford exit was “in one sense the best thing that could have ­happened”; and that Keane was a chequebook ­manager – not a patient one.

In response, the Republic of Ireland’s ­recently appointed assistant-manager is planning a no-holds-barred attack on Ferguson and last week provided just a taster of what is to come.

Sir Alex revealed that he and Roy Keane had a very on-off relationship at Old Trafford [EMPICS/NEAL SIMPSON]

“I’ve no problem with people having opinions but when people tell lies about me, ultimately you have to come out and defend yourself”

Roy Keane

Keane, talking before Friday night’s friendly with Latvia, said: “I’m here to talk about my new role – not about Alex Ferguson.

“I’ve no problem with people having opinions but when people tell lies about me, ultimately you have to come out and defend yourself and I will do – but not ­today.

“As you get older, hopefully you get a ­little bit wiser and maybe we mellow as well.

“But at the same time you have to be ready to lock horns with people. Anger is a good emotion to have.

“People have this thing where you are not supposed to get angry. But you are.

“If people upset you or say something bad about you or if someone comes up and punches you in the face then what are you meant to do? You defend ­yourself.”

Sources close to Keane have said the Irishman plans to defend his role in the infamous team meeting that ended his ­12-year Old Trafford career.

In his book, Ferguson accuses Keane of lashing out at Edwin van der Sar, Ruud van Nistelrooy and former ­assistant-boss, Carlos Queiroz.

Fergie wrote: “With his contradictions and mood swings he (Keane) could be wonderful one minute and antagonistic the next. The switch would flick in a ­moment.

“A lot of the players were intimidated by him and those players emerged well from his ­departure.”

Sir Alex has accused Keane of not being a patient manager [MARTIN RICKETT/PA WIRE]

And the source has indicated that Keano is fuming with how Fergie has portrayed him – especially as he feels the successful period of his United career has been glossed over.

The source said: “The thing Roy finds laughable is that he is painted as an ­intimidating person. It’s as if Ferguson discovers this all of a sudden in 2005 when he is 33 and carrying a hip injury – yet he was the same person all the way through his prime at the club.

“He will choose his moment and say his piece, I’m sure.”

For now, Keane is pinning his hopes on re-energising his managerial career with Ireland – where he has also has history.

Named as Martin O’Neill’s assistant, the managerial dream team had their opening game against Latvia on Friday and travel to Poland today for a friendly on Tuesday. And Keane aims to use his fiery temper to get the best out of Ireland’s ­underachievers.

He said: “Sports people are ­generally people of ­extremes.

“It’s got to be that way. This idea of ­half-­measures, you get ­nowhere with that.

“With my ­personality, I was full pelt all the time, which didn’t always work.

“Sometimes in sport you do have to lighten up a ­little – and that’s my aim with Ireland.

“I was very ­intense when I played but I don’t expect people to have my traits. If ­everyone did then it wouldn’t ­necessarily be a good planet. Hopefully, they’d have some of my habits – the winning ­habits.”